Art made out of anything

Posted
Flying above the register at Anderson Pharmacy, a handmade bi-plane constructed from Pepsi cans is poised for battle. It's not meant to deter any Coca-Cola bi-planes, though. It's art. "I've been doing stuff like that all my life," said the plane's designer, Marguerite Tobias. "I was born in Greeleyville. I'm a cornfield girl." "Mrs. Tobias is quite a lady," said Rock Ouzts of Anderson Pharmacy, who is happy to display the art-o-nautical creation as well as a smiling plastic robot from a customer of nearly two decades. "She came in and brought these two items. I said, 'Wow, we'll put it up.' She brought the plane first, and then this little guy." At her home, Tobias' obvious fondness for crafting and creation is evident – whether it's dried out eggshells, or walnuts and peach pits, or soda cans and plastic containers, she's turned many everyday objects into art through the use of pliers, scissors and a screwdriver. "I like to use my head for something more than a hatrack," she said, laughing. "You can figure out all sorts of stuff. You can make something out of nothing and be happy." "It keeps her busy and that's a great thing," Ouzts said. "She's always got something going on." "I'll be 83 next month," Tobias said, showing a palm-sized objet d'art. "Here's a pecan rat." She likes to keep her mind occupied. She likes to create and work with her hands. "I can't sit and watch TV all the time. It makes me nuts," she said. Tobias has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. "If I talk too much, I get hoarse," she said. "But God is good to us." Her husband Joseph passed away 16 years ago. "Life goes on," she said. "You can't stop." She has a son, Ronnie, and a daughter, Sharon. She also has a baby sister. "She babies me, though," Tobias said, laughing again. She picks up a beaded bracelet from a tray overflowing with various trinkets. A shepherd barks at something outside. "That's Shadow. She's my shadow," Tobias said, as Blacky Moe flicks her tail and meows for attention; behind her chair hides Missy the Chihuahua. Tobias has been a Christian since she was 19 and has played music for even longer. She played the guitar for many years. "Going to church, I couldn't take guitars and kids," she said. "So I just laid the guitar down." She still plays piano, though, and as a member of Deep Creek Pentecostal Holiness Church, Tobias' faith is strong. "I love company and I love making friends," she said. "And God is good to us."